Byrneville Elementary Considers Bond Issue For $7 Million Building Project
December 20, 2018
The Byrneville Elementary School Board of Directors is continuing to explore financing options for a $7 million building and renovation project.
Thursday, the board met with Capital Trust Agency (CTA), an independent public body for the purpose of financing or otherwise accomplishing development programs. CTA is located in Gulf Breeze, with Gulf Breeze and Century signing off on CTA projects. Century entered into the Capital Trust Agency with Gulf Breeze in 1999 with Century essentially serving as the “second signature” for CTA, certifying that the projects meet a public purpose under IRS rules and regulations. No funding comes from the or is approved by the municipalities; it is directly from CTA.
“You are family to us; we are going to assist you anyway we can,” CTA Executive Director Ed Gray said. “We are not going to charge you our usual fees. We are just going to offer advice through the process, whether that is a bank or CTA.”
CTA has financed numerous charter schools in Florida.
The Byrneville Elementary Board is also considering the use of bank financing using the New Market Tax Credits program, part of a federal tax credit program enacted by Congress in 2000, designed to stimulate private investment in low income urban neighborhoods and rural communities.
The charter school is considering expansions and improvements including classrooms and a new cafetorium, in addition to improvements to their main building.
Pictured top: Byrneville Elementary School. Pictured inset: Capital Trust Agency Executive Director Ed Gray address the Byrneville Elementary School Board of Directors Thursday afternoon. Pictured below: Byrneville Elementary board members Cheryl Boutwell, Melanie Killam and Brandy Carter. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Dedria’s Gift Delivers Christmas Gifts To Area Nursing Homes
December 20, 2018
Dedria’s Gift visited nursing homes in Century and Brewton this week with gifts for the residents. Dedria’s Gift honors the memory of Dedria Robinson who was killed in a 2005 automobile accident at age 11. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Christmas Parade Set For Friday Morning
December 20, 2018
The Century Christmas Parade is Friday morning at 11:00 in an area east of North Century Boulevard.
Floats will line up at 10 a.m. at the school on Hecker Road where they will be judged for the wackiest, prettiest and most creative entries. The parade route, which has not been announced, will begin and end on Hecker Road.
The parade will travel Hecker Road to Jefferson Avenue, Jefferson Avenue past East Pond Street, continue on Jefferson Avenue past Salters Lake Road back to East Pond Street, East Pond Street back to Jefferson Avenue, Jefferson Avenue to Front Street, Alger Road to Hecker Road, and Hecker Road back to the starting point. (see map below).
Winning entries will received certificates following the parade. There is no registration fee. For more information, call Emily at (850) 256-3208.
The last Christmas Parade in Century was in 2016 (pictured).
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
High-Stakes Marijuana Ruling Placed On Hold
December 20, 2018
In a closely watched case, an appeals court this week agreed to put on hold a circuit judge’s ruling that said Florida lawmakers and the state Department of Health have violated a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.
The 1st District Court of Appeal approved a stay of the ruling but also said consideration of the underlying issues in the case would be “expedited.” The Florida Department of Health went to the appeals court in October after Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson sided with the Tampa-based firm Florigrown in a battle about how the state is carrying out the constitutional amendment.
Dodson found that a 2017 law was unconstitutional and issued a temporary injunction requiring state health officials to begin registering Florigrown and other medical-marijuana firms to do business. Dodson’s ruling targeted parts of the law that placed caps on the number of medical-marijuana licenses and dealt with issues such as the creation of a “vertical integration” system that requires marijuana operators to grow, process and sell medical marijuana — as opposed to businesses being licensed to play different roles in the industry.
The case could open the door to more firms doing business in Florida’s fast-growing medical marijuana market. Florigrown, for example, filed the lawsuit after being denied approval by the Department of Health.
In arguing for the stay, Department of Health attorneys this month wrote that allowing Dodson’s order to “take effect injects confusion and uncertainty into the implementation of the medical marijuana amendment and the registration of MMTCs (medical marijuana treatment centers, as the firms are known) throughout Florida,” the filing said. “Under the existing status quo, the department may only grant an MMTC license to an entity after vetting its qualifications. In contrast, under the injunction order, it is unclear how the department would determine which entities are qualified to operate as an MMTC, or if any registration process would exist at all. This is because the department’s authority for establishing such rules … would be gone, nullifying the implementing rules already established by the department.”
But attorneys for Florigrown disputed such arguments.
“Contrary to the department’s assertions, Florigrown produced an abundance of evidence establishing the public harm that is occurring because of the Legislature’s unconstitutional limits on the registration of medical marijuana treatment centers,” the firm’s attorneys said in a brief last week. “It also established that sufficient guidelines already exist to protect the public. The department produced no evidence or testimony to the contrary. All the trial court has done is direct the department to allow the ‘registration’ of MMTCs. Once an MMTC is registered, it must still meet other requirements before it can actually commence operations.”
The Department of Health’s appeal of Dodson’s ruling in October triggered an automatic stay. But Florigrown then returned to Dodson and requested that he vacate the stay — which he did in a Dec. 4 order.
Attorneys for the department then went to the appeals court, essentially asking that the stay be reinstated while the appeal of Dodson’s October ruling moves forward. The Tallahassee-based appeals court on Tuesday granted that request, saying in a one-page order that the stay “shall remain in effect pending final disposition of the merits of this appeal.”
As is common in such orders, the appeals court did not explain its reasoning. But it also said the appeal will be expedited.
With Florida potentially one of the most-lucrative markets in the country for medical marijuana, disputes about licenses have led to numerous court and administrative fights.
More than 71 percent of voters approved the medical-marijuana constitutional amendment in 2016. In the appeals-court filing this month, the Department of Health said 14 medical-marijuana treatment centers had been registered and licensed and that they operated 72 “dispensing locations” across the state.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Century Council Questions Mayor’s Airline Ticket Purchases; Commissioner Disagrees With Answer
December 19, 2018
Members of the Century Town Council are questioning the mayor’s purchase of airline tickets, and an Escambia County Commissioner is disagreeing with the mayor’s explanation.
A bill list presented to the council showed the purchase of multiple airline tickets totaling about $1,600. Council President Ann Brooks questioned the charges and the mayor’s authority to make the purchases because he has a $200 spending limit under the town charter.
Mayor Henry Hawkins said the tickets were purchased for “economic development” and to bring “some folks” to Century to discuss a potential business in the town.
Hawkins said he received permission from Commissioner Steven Barry to buy the airline tickets with reimbursement by the county. Escambia County committed $105,000 for economic development in the Century area this fiscal year. Proposals for the money are presented to Barry who in turn seeks approval of the entire commission at a regular meeting. So far, the commission has approved only $24,500 to the University of West Florida Haas Center for a market analysis [read more].
But Barry said Tuesday he never even spoke to the mayor about the purchase of airline tickets.
“Unfortunately, I have not had any conversation with anyone related to the use of the Escambia County dollars allocated for economic development in the Town of Century, other than the formal request the town submitted and the county approved for the implementation of the first phase of the Haas Center study,” Barry said in a statement to NorthEscambia.com. “Based on my commitment to our board, I need to bring any additional expenditures of those dollars to one of our board meetings for approval.”
The following charges to airlines or travel services appear on the bill list presented to the town council Monday night:
- American Airlines $501.40
- Delta Air Lines $366.90
- Expedia $560.92
- Frontier Airlines $214.90
Pictured: Century Mayor Henry Hawkins listens to a council discussion Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Collects $2 Million Powerball Prize
December 19, 2018
A Cantonment man has claimed a $2 million lottery prize.
The Florida Lottery announced Tuesday that Gary Moore claimed a $2 million prize from the October 27 Powerball drawing. The winning ticket matched all five of the white ball numbers but did not match the Powerball.
Moore purchased his winning ticket from Winn Dixie on South Highway 29 in Cantonment. The store will receive a $5,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.
Report: Holman Prison Has Only About 40 Percent Of Required Security Staff
December 19, 2018
Holman Prison in Atmore has only about 40 percent of the required security staff, according to a report published Tuesday.
The Montgomery Advertiser reported that Holman employs just 72 of the 195 needed to staff the maximum security prison 24 hours a day.
Holman inmate Vaquerro Kinjuan Armstrong, 29, was stabbed to death December 2, and multiple more have been assaulted. One was airlifted to an area hospital after receiving multiple stab wounds. The December 2 incident prompted a security lockdown.
The newspaper reported that 951 inmates were housed at Holman, a facility that opened in 1969.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Photos: Northview Culinary Students Create Gingerbread Houses
December 19, 2018
Northview High School Culinary 3 students created gingerbread houses to display during the Christmas season.
The students created these from scratch, creating their own patterns and making the dough and icing.
The houses are on display by the the front office.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Johnson Sinks Final Shot To Lift Northview To Victory Over Freeport
December 19, 2018
Joseph Johnson sank the final shot of the game as time expired to lift Northview to a 61-59 win over Freeport Tuesday night in Bratt.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Johnson led the Chiefs with 20 points. Also scoring for Northview: Jason Fayard 15, Seth Killam 12, Ray Bush 7, Ben Wilson 5, Quay Thomas 2.
The Chiefs off for Christmas until the Pensacola Catholic Christmas tournament beginning December 27. They will have another shot at Freeport on the road January 22.
GIRLS
Freeport 38, Northview 25
The Northview girls will next take the court January 8 at W.S. Neal.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Desantis, Lawmakers Look To Boost In Florida Tax Dollars
December 19, 2018
With an unexpected surge in sales-tax and corporate income-tax collections, analysts on Tuesday projected a significant increase in state revenue over two years.
If the revenue projections hold, it will ease the financial pressure on incoming Gov. Ron DeSantis, as he prepares his first budget recommendation, and on the Legislature, which must pass a 2019-2020 state budget when it meets in the spring.
State revenue collections during the fiscal year that started July 1 have been running $365.2 million ahead of projections that had been last revised in August. The two largest components of that increase were $173.5 million in sales-tax collections running ahead of estimates and $126 million in additional corporate income-tax collections.
The sales tax, which generates about $26 billion a year, and the corporate income tax, which generates about $2.2 billion, are the two largest general revenue sources in the state budget. General revenue taxes are closely watched in the Capitol because they play a key role in funding schools, health programs and prisons.
Based on the robust tax collections, the analysts boosted their general revenue projections by $842 million over two years, with a $461.5 million increase in 2018-2019 and a $380.5 million increase in 2019-2020.
In reading the consensus report, Amy Baker, coordinator of the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, noted the $842 million adjustment has come at the same time analysts have adopted state and national economic forecasts that show some weakening in key economic factors.
“While this is the largest combined (two-year) increase since April 2006, during the peak of the housing boom, the conference recognizes that there is an elevated level of risk due to the mature stage of the current economic expansion,” Baker said.
Nonetheless, the new estimates show the state should collect an additional $1.48 billion in general revenue this year, a 4.8 percent increase over the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The new 2019-2020 general revenue projection is 3.1 percent, or $1.01 billion, higher than this year.
Analysts projected a $156 million increase in corporate income- tax collections this year, which they said is likely to result in tax refunds due to a new state law.
“The new level of net collections (receipts minus refunds) forecast for the current year, if they materialize, would trigger the tax rate reduction and refund provisions in (House Bill) 7093 as passed by the 2018 Legislature,” the report said.
It would result in $49.9 million in tax savings for the companies that pay the corporate income tax in 2019-2020 and $12.6 million in 2020-2021.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida